Ribbed Lead-Acid Battery Separator for Low Resistance and Oxidation Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current lead acid battery separators face challenges in achieving reduced electrical resistance, increased puncture strength, improved cross-machine direction stiffness, enhanced oxidation resistance, and lower basis weight, which are crucial for improving battery life, reducing failure rates, and optimizing charging efficiency in applications such as deep cycle and hybrid-electric vehicles.
Innovation Solution
The development of a lead acid battery separator with a porous membrane and ribbed structure, featuring a basis weight of approximately 130 g/m² or less, a bending stiffness of greater than 25 mN in the cross-machine direction, and a ribbed design that includes arrays of ribs for enhanced puncture resistance and oxidation stability, along with performance-enhancing additives or coatings to reduce electrical resistance and improve handling and wettability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of stationary object
If separator thickness is reduced to lower basis weight, then manufacturing cost decreases, but puncture strength and mechanical integrity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The separator combines a polyolefin base material with silane-modified polyethylene crosslinked networks and inorganic filler particles to create a composite structure that achieves high strength-to-weight ratio, enabling reduced basis weight while maintaining puncture strength
Solution Approach 2:
The separator features a microporous structure with controlled pore distribution and crosslinked regions that provide localized mechanical reinforcement, allowing thin overall thickness while maintaining puncture resistance through strategically positioned structural enhancements
2Weight of stationary object
If separator thickness is reduced to lower basis weight, then manufacturing cost decreases, but oxidation resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The separator utilizes silane crosslinking to fundamentally change the chemical structure and thermal stability parameters of the polyolefin material, creating a more oxidation-resistant network that maintains reliability even at reduced thickness and lower basis weight
Solution Approach 2:
The combination of polyolefin with silane-modified components and inorganic fillers creates a composite material system with enhanced oxidation resistance that compensates for the reduced material quantity in thinner separators
3Loss of time
If electrical resistance is reduced to improve charging efficiency, then charging time decreases, but separator material composition becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The separator employs a controlled microporous structure with optimized pore size distribution and porosity to enhance ionic conductivity and reduce electrical resistance, allowing efficient charging without requiring complex additive systems
Solution Approach 2:
The silane crosslinking modification changes the physical and chemical parameters of the separator material, creating a structure with inherently lower electrical resistance that improves charging efficiency while maintaining relatively simple base material composition
4Strength
If cross-machine direction stiffness is increased to improve handling, then separator rigidity increases, but separator flexibility and electrolyte wettability may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The separator features anisotropic structural properties with enhanced stiffness in the cross-machine direction through specific fiber orientation and crosslinking patterns, while maintaining surface porosity and chemical properties that ensure good electrolyte wettability
Solution Approach 2:
The composite structure of polyolefin with silane modifications and inorganic fillers creates differentiated mechanical properties in different directions, providing high cross-machine stiffness for handling while preserving surface characteristics for electrolyte interaction
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The improved separator effectively reduces internal resistance, enhances battery life, maintains consistent end-of-charge current, decreases charging time, and minimizes water loss, while providing improved puncture strength and oxidation resistance, thus optimizing the performance of lead acid batteries in various applications including deep cycle and hybrid-electric vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
a porous membrane, the porous membrane being made from a polyolefin and having a pore size of less than about 1 micrometer
Implementation Method 2
The separator also includes arrays of ribs extending from the porous membrane
Implementation Method 3
the porous membrane being crosslinked
Implementation Method 4
performance-enhancing additives or coatings to reduce electrical resistance and improve handling and wettability
Data Source
AI summary
A separator is provided with a novel construction and/or a combination of improved properties. Batteries, methods, and systems associated therewith are also provided. In certain embodiments, novel or improved separators, battery separators, enhanced flooded battery separators, batteries, cells, and/or methods of manufacture and/or use of such separators, battery separators, enhanced flooded battery separators, cells, and/or batteries are provided. In addition, there is disclosed herein methods, systems, and battery separators having a reduced ER, improved puncture strength, improved separator CMD stiffness, improved oxidation resistance, reduced separator thickness, reduced basis weight, and any combination thereof. In accordance with at least certain embodiments, separators are provided in battery applications for flat-plate batteries, tubular batteries, vehicle SLI, and HEV ISS applications, deep cycle applications, golf car or golf cart, and e-rickshaw batteries, batteries operating in a partial state of charge (“PSOC”), inverter batteries; and storage batteries for renewable energy sources, and any combination thereof.